


I would take the pain away

by scarletchidori



Series: NejiTen Month 2019 [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, NejiTen Month 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 06:10:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19717819
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletchidori/pseuds/scarletchidori
Summary: “I remember, you know? When we were children and you said that you would kiss my pain away”





	I would take the pain away

**Author's Note:**

> I know. I have a weakness for forehead kisses, and for Tenten kissing Neji's forehead. I don't even know what this is but I wanted some hurt and comfort because I like to suffer while I write. I just wanted to write about an ipotetic meeting between them when they were small children and a small moment between them during the chunin exam ark (after the preliminaries and before the finals). As always I hope you will like it!!!

I: Snow

  
  


_ “To find one truth path, one must seek guidance amidst uncertainty” _ _  
_ _ (Persona 3) _

  
  


_ * _

I love snow. I wear my coat, a small gift that a lady gave me when someone decided that ‘I was big enough to live alone’. I lock the door after opening my umbrella, I put the keys in my pocket, and then after smiling at myself I begin to walk.

When I arrive at the park of course I realize that I am the only one who thought that today was going to be a good day for playing. There’s just a child sitting in one of the benches. I run towards the child with a smile on my face.

“It’s snowing, you know?”, I ask.

“I know”, the child says without looking at me.

“Did you hurt yourself?”.

“What?”

“Your forehead”, I say “It’s covered in bandages”

“Oh, yes…”, he says finally looking at me.

His hair is so long, they’re tied in a low ponytail, his eyes are white and beautiful. I think he’s Neji Hyuga. I saw him a couple of times with his father, who had long hair as well and a kind face. Today is his father’s funeral, it’s strange but I’m sad too, sometimes when he caught me watching him he smiled at me instead of saying that a child shouldn’t stare at people.

“My name is Tenten”, I say smiling “And you are… Neji, right?”

“Yes”

His eyes are so full of sadness that it makes me want to hug him.

“Your hair are so beautiful, you know that?”

“Thank you”.

We stay in silence while watching the snowfall, I open the umbrella again covering both me and him.

“You have to go home?”, Neji asks.

“No”, I say “I can stay as much as I want, if you want some company”.

He doesn’t answer, but he doesn’t go away either, so I guess it’s alright. We stay in comfortable silence for what it seems like an eternity.

“My father loved snow”.

“Really?”

“Yes”, he says “We used to play under the snow, make a snowman, and he used to smile, and he thought that the first snow was the most beautiful”.

I think he wants to talk about his father with someone, perhaps talking with a stranger is easier than talking with someone he knows.

“I agree”, I say nodding “The first snow is always beautiful”.

There’s no one around, it’s like there’s only me and him.

“Does your forehead hurts?”

“Yes”, he says after a moment of silence.

“I could kiss your forehead”

“Why?”

“To make the pain go away”, I say.

“A kiss would not make the pain go away”, he whispers.

“You can always try, you know?”, I ask.

He turns around and looks into my eyes, I smiled at him to try to calm him because he seems so sad and so in pain that I wish I could hug him.

“Okay”.

A little embarrassed I give him a very quick kiss on the forehead, leaning my lips on the bandage.

“I’m sure that the pain will go away, sooner or later”, I say with a smile “I promise”.

  
  
  
  


II:  Protection

_ “So darlin’, darlin’, stand by me, oh stand by me _

_ Oh stand by me, stand by me” _

_ (Stand by me - Ben E King) _

_ * _

Convalescence after the battle against Temari was difficult. But they finally gave me the permission to go home. When I lie down on my couch I smile a little, how much I had missed being at home. My happiness however is being obscured by the concern I feel for Lee. He was completely destroyed by Gaara and we still don’t know if he will go back to fighting like he used to.

Someone knocks on my door.

“Come in!!!”, I say smiling.

The door opens and I hear someone begging for help.

“Neji???”, I say getting up and run towards him “Neji? Neji, what happened?”

He doesn’t answer but his hands are on his forehead and it doesn’t take me long to understand what happened. I close the door and I lay a hand on Neji’s back.

“Neji?”

“I-- didn’t know where else to go”, he whispers.

“It’s fine”, I say “Can you get up? I need you to lie down on my bed where you can rest”

He gets up and while laying heavily on me we manage to enter my room, and he literally throws himself on my bed.

“Neji, please”, I say “What happened to you?”

“They punished me”, he whispers clenching at my blanket “For what I did to Hinata-sama”.

“Oh”, I whisper.

“They had every right to do that… but… it hurts”

I sit on my bed, close to him, laying a hand on his back.

“It’s alright, Neji”, I whisper “What can I do for you?”

Suddenly he throws his arms around my neck, hugging me close to him, hiding his face in the crook of my neck. I can feel his tears on my skin. This is the first time I see Neji’s crying and it rips my heart apart. He needs comfort… so I hug him back as tightly as I can stroking his hair in an attempt to calm him down a little.

“It hurts”, he whispers again.

“I know”, I say “I know”.

I don’t know for how much we stay like this, in each other's embrace while he’s crying from pain but after what it seems like an eternity he moves away from me. His eyes are red and so empty right now.

  
“How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine”.

“Do you need something?”, I ask.

He takes off his headband. His forehead seems normal, apart from the curse mark, but I know that the pain isn’t gonna show outside. They could have killed him if they didn’t paid attention. I lay my hand on his forehead.

“You have cold hands”, he whispers closing his eyes “How can you have cold hands?”

“Yeah, I just took a cold shower”.

He lays his hand on mine, keeping it on his forehead, his breathing begins to return to normal and when he opens his eyes, to look at me, I know that now he’s feeling better.

“Are you alright now?”   
  
“Yes, thank you”.

“I--”

Someone knocks on the door, Neji’s eyes darken… I think it’s easy to understand who’s knocking on my door.

“I’ll take care of it”, I say “Don’t worry, you can stay here tonight”.

He nods and his hand lingers a little too much on mine but I don’t find the strength to say anything.

“I’ll be back”.

I close the door of my room and go into the living room, I take a deep breath before opening the door.

“We know that Neji is here”

“So?”, I ask.

I shouldn’t talk to them like this but I can’t help it.

“He needs to return home”

“For what? Being hurt again?”, I say “Don’t be so surprised, I already know”, I add when they share a confused look.

“It’s none of your business”   
  


“Neji is my business. He’s my friend”, I say feeling overprotective “You can talk to him tomorrow, now you should leave him alone”

“Don’t make me repeat myself”, he says “We need to take Neji home”.

“Just let him stay for tonight, please”, I say “I apologize for my behavior...but please let him stay”.

“Fine”, the man says “Will be back tomorrow morning”.

“Thank you”, I nod.

They don’t say anything else, they just nod before going away. I lock my door breathing deeply.

“Can I stay here?”   
  


“Yeah”, I nod “Are you really feeling better?”   
  


“Yes I am sure”

“What they did to you?”, I ask “They… you know”

He nods without saying anything.

“Then you should go to sleep, you’re quite pale”.

“I’ll take the couch”

“Don’t be silly, Neji”, I say “You can take my bed, besides I’m not going to sleep yet”.

“May I ask you something?”   
  


“Sure”

“Don’t say anything to anyone, okay? This will be our secret”

  
“Of course”.

He still feels the need to be strong, the obligation of never laying on someone’s shoulder and never show weakness. But I also know that he needs to be weak just this once, and he needs to lay his head on someone's shoulder. Lee is out of the question, we can’t burden him with all of this, not while he’s suffering so much. We’re alone today but we can to this.

“Neji… you can be weak today, if you need me I’ll be here and you know that.''

“Thank you”.

We go back to my room, laying on my bed, while Neji is sleeping. Even when is dark and late I can’t sleep, because I’m too scared that something could happen to him because of what they have done to him.   
  


I stroke his hair with a sad smile. He was so in pain that I was scared he would die, I’ve never seen him crying in pain.

“You should sleep, Tenten”, he whispers “I swear I’m fine. I am not gonna die, don’t worry”.

“I’m fine”, I say continuing to stroking his hair since he doesn’t seem bothered by it.

“You’re tired, Tenten. You just got out of the hospital after what happened to you, I think you should sleep”.

“I'm not tired, don't worry", I say "You can stay as much as you want, you know that.”.

“I know”, he says “But I will stay just for tonight, I-I didn’t know where to go and you were the first person that came to my mind”.

“Don't worry”.

“I remember, you know? When we were children and you said that you would kiss my pain away”

“Oh yeah?”, I ask “I believed in many silly things when I was a child”.

“You can always try again”, he says “Maybe this time will work”.

“Really?”, I ask stopping stroking in his in shock.

He nods slightly. He seems a bit tired, perhaps is the reason why he’s acting so strange. I kiss his forehead, hoping to make him feel better, even if it’s just a suggestion, I think, please make him feel better, make him feel safe just for today. I know that what he did was wrong, I know that.   
But I can’t help being protective of him considering how his clan treats branch member of the family. After lingering a little too much I move away from him, finding him smiling almost sweetly at me.

“You have to swear something. And don’t get mad at me, please”.

“What?”   
  


“Never do that again, okay?”, I ask “I know… I understand how much it hurts, how much is hard for you, but don’t make it harder on yourself or on her. You are not to blame, but neither does Hinata… please I don’t want you to suffer”.

“Okay”, he says “I will try, I swear”.

“You’re not mad at me?”, I ask

“No, I'm not mad at you”, he says “I know that you don’t want anyone to suffer and I know that our… rules upsets you”.

“Thank you”.

“I should be the one to say that to you”, he says “Now we have to sleep, you are still weak I can tell just by looking at you”.

“I am tired, yes”.

When I close my eyes I don’t feel alone in my own house. Neji’s warmth beside me becomes my lullaby and for once in my life I don’t feel alone in the dark night, and I don’t fear any nightmare of solitude and nothingness.

**Author's Note:**

> If you find mistakes let me know, thank you. And of course thank you for reading this!!!


End file.
